Football is a game of opinions. From team selection to transfers and tactics, everyone has their own ideas on how to get results on the pitch. Sports Interactive and SEGA are giving would-be managers the chance to prove that their opinion means more than most when Football Manager 2020 launches.

Football Manager is the most realistic, in-depth and immersive football management simulation in the world. Putting you in the hot seat of any club in more than 50 countries across the world, Football Manager allows you to take on the role of a real-life manager: you decide who plays and who sits on the bench, and you're in total control of tactics, team talks, substitutions and pitch-side instructions as you follow the match live with the acclaimed 3D match engine.

Football Manager 2020 is the follow up to the record-breaking Football Manager 2019, which is the fastest selling, best-selling, and most played version of the series to date across all of its release platforms. Nine months after its release, more than 60% of the people who have bought the PC/Mac game in its lifetime are still playing it each month.

After weeks of 'announce the Beta' comments flooding the Football Manager social media accounts the pre-release public Beta of Football Manager 2020 is available on PC and Mac – five days earlier than promised.

Anyone who has pre-purchased FM20 from a SEGA-approved digital retailer can log into Steam and launch the Beta from their Steam library, right now. It's not too late to get access to the pre-release Beta either; as anyone who pre-purchases FM20 on PC and Mac between now and the game's release on Tuesday, November 19th (from a participating digital retailer) will see the Beta immediately added to their Steam library.

The pre-release Beta is a near complete (but not quite final) version of the game, so players may encounter some bugs and issues during play. These can be reported directly to the Sports Interactive team via the 'Report Bug' button on the in-game sidebar. Online play is also enabled, but there will be no access to the Steam Workshop or either the pre-game or in-game editors until the game's full release on November 19th.

With new features concentrating on player development (through the Playing Time Pathway and Development Centre) and each club's unique identity (via Club Vision), FM20 looks set to be the most engrossing entry in the long-running series' history.

"The Beta should have been out on November 5th," says Sports Interactive gaffer, Miles Jacobson. "But given how many of this year's features are aimed at long-term play, we wanted to give people an extra weekend to play and get their feedback in. This will help us with the final development push for polish ahead of the release on the 19th, for what is already the best game in the series."

All players, including the more casual, can look forward to a raft of quality of life improvements that will make their lives easier and help them get the most out of their time on the game, alongside a number of great graphical and AI changes in the famed Football Manager match engine.

Single player careers that are started on the pre-release Beta can be carried over to the full release, making this the perfect time for managers to kick-off their long-term saves.

This year sees a focus on long-term planning and development that make saves spanning multiple seasons even more compelling.Player development and club identity are brought to the fore in FM20 and managers can have greater input in both. Additionally, FM20 sees improvements to the in-match graphics as well as new backroom advice and staff roles.

This year also marks the first time in the long-running series' history that Football Manager will be available as a launch title on a new platform as Football Manager 2020 is set to make its debut on Google's Stadia and will be the fastest way to experience Football Manager.

Fans who pre-purchase Football Manager 2020 from a participating digital retailer will receive a 10% discount and access to the pre-release Beta version, which will be available circa two weeks prior to release. There is also a 10% discount for those pre-ordering from participating physical retailers. More details regarding the Google Stadia launch will follow very soon.

Football Manager 2020 Touch (Steam, iOS & Android) and Football Manager 2020 Mobile (iOS and Android) will also launch on November 19, 2019, with Football Manager 2020 Touch for Nintendo Switch to follow.